Costume Maks
by Hannah Melto
Summary: No Magic Au. A young Marinette, age 23, is starstruck by the supporting actor in a new play. She becomes obsessed with this blond stud and is gifted the opportunity to meet him. But little does she know, he has a surprise in store for her. Inspired by the theater AU


I know something is already written for the theater AU and this kinda strayed from that original idea but I've been meaning to have some fun and wanted to try something super quick. ( And by quick I mean take a freaking month to rework every line) Not even sure where this was headed… oh well.

 _ **Costume Masks**_

The dark haired woman sat fifth row from the stage, dead center, her hands tightly clasped together at her chest. Perhaps they were trying to keep her heart from bursting onto the stage. Her eyes mindlessly studied the figure that appeared to be glowing. He was always glowing. Perhaps it was his blond hair that was combed back lightly, bouncing and shimmering wisps of silk under the lights. Occasionally, although she could not be sure from her distance, she saw a glint of green eyes. She was taken. As taken as she had been two months ago, when her friend, Alya, had dragged her away from her work to ' get out more ' and ' have some fun.' The two had gone to a play, Alya's friend worked the lights and was the stage manager, so the tickets were free. She hadn't been too excited at first, but it had been a night that changed her life.

The character she was so taken with, Lord Chad Noir, was as modest and as gentlemanly as they come. Within the story, he was the English son of a Lord just died, and was trying to fill in the gaps of his father's absence. His mother had gone too, when he was young, and though she was never seen his character spoke fondly of her. It took place in 1928, hopping between a setting in the manors of england to the streets of Paris. Alex, another friend of Alya's, played the main character, Lucille. Lucille was a fun loving daughter of a poor Paris family, who had saved the old Lord's life years before, and was now much a sister to the young Lord Noir. They had been arranged to be married, but Lucille had fallen in love with a boy from her past. It was a very romantic story, she gave up the good life to be with the one she loved. The notion was sweet. And the 'brother' figure Lord Noir played presented a more protective, and a reluctance, rather than any actual conflict. Most of the conflict was in the character Lucille, who had been starving before, and truly wanted to respect the past Lord's wishes. This was all a moot point really, because there was some political drama laced in the background. Which came into full swing when abruptly Lucille's love interest and Lord Noir are killed leaving Lucille on her own. She finds the killer, a boy who was involved very little in the politics but had let loyalty get the best of him, and she kills him.

It was magical to her. Alya had brought up before, that the love story was a bit on the bland side. In Alya's opinion, the Lord character would have been more interesting if he acted more like a love interest then a protective brother. Marinette was always quick to defend the respectful, quiet, understanding nature of her Chad; it what she loved about him. Yes, loved.

After that first show she had began to show up again, and again. The play itself, no longer held any surprise for her, but hardly lacked entertainment. Of course, she would watch everyone but her focus was fairly fixed. She had been to almost every show since, and the scenes with Lord Noir, she had memorised.

Alya had joked she should audition to at least be an understudy, but Marinette would only blush and sputter out some excuse about enjoying the costume design, before returning to the show the next night.

The fifth row middle seat seemed to be permanently hers. She was most happy she had found this seat, as it came in perfect range of his eyes. During the bows, would sweep the crowds and always seemed to pause on her for a moment. It was almost as if their eyes met. It had felt like they had connected, and sparks sent off flying in their eyes. Yet, Marinette was realistic enough to realise this was probably just in her head.

She waited for that moment again, tonight, though with an unusual hollow feeling in her stomach. Tonight would be the last show, and for her, it was like saying goodbye to an old friend. Sure, she didn't really know any of the actors or show hands personally, but this small play had become a small part of her life. One she enjoyed, and to see it go, left her a little sad. She felt a small tear escaped her, during a not so moving scene, and that's when she noticed it.

Her eyes were of course fixed on the actor who played the Lord Noir, but he too was fixed on her and for the first time, he stumbled.

His lines were usually so on spot, his acting so consistent, she felt as though she was watching a movie. But he had froze, and forgot a key moment to move across stage. He regained himself, and seemed to recover. But she noticed during smaller scenes in which he was in the background, his eyes found her again, and then he would look away.

She was worried, worried that her constant staring had somehow annoyed him, and now because he messed up, he hated her. What if he had spotted her staring before, and he thought she was some kind of stalker. She tried to focus on the other actors in the scene, and was able to do so with great restraint until he had another speaking line. Then, as if forgetting the whole exchange eariler, her eyes stayed locked to him.

They took their bows, and again, his vision scanned the crowd, and again his eyes landed on her. He held it for a moment, a moment longer, and then smiled. She felt her heart burst and seap up to her shoulders, and neck, to flood her face with color.

What a wonderful way to end.

In the lobby, she wrapps her scarf tight around her neck, preparing to brave the cold december evening. When suddenly, a hand caught her shoulder.

" Hi yah," She spun around, and was met with a young man, dark skin, and glasses framing hazel brown eyes. He was dressed in a nice button down, but it had the look of being hastily put on, as his undershirt seemed to hold a slight layer of sweat. His jeans too made him stand out from the nicely dressed crowd, and he seemed to have a radio clipped to his side. The radio linked to a pair of oversized headphones that had a small mic. Taking this all in a glance, she figured he was one of the show staff members.

" You're Alya's friend, right?" He sounded a bit younger then he looked, but who was she to judge, with a face of a fresh sixteen year old despite being 23.

She nodded, before realising it was best to introduce herself. " I'm Marinette, nice to meet you…"

" Nino, I'm the stage manager and light director for the show."

" Oh yes! Alya talks about you a lot! It was a great show."

A grin spreads across his face, and something told her that it wasn't because she praised him for his work, he had a small blush dusting his cheeks.

" Well I would hope you would enjoy it! Being a friend of Alya's, would you like to meet the cast and crew?"

" Oh! I would love too! But I would hate to barge in."

" Eh, we've been drinking together for months, the lot of us I mean, we could use a new face or two."

" Okay sure!"

" M-maybe invite Alya too, you know, so you won't feel all alone?"

Marinette smiled knowingly.

" Of course!"

" Awesome dude! Okay, we are gonna be on this bar on 5th and Ashberry. Its called the Blind Chat. Adrian's favorite spot."

" Okay great, we'll meet you there."

Marinette had paused on that last bit of info, it seemed oddly tacked on. Adrian, the name that sounded familiar, confused her too. Maybe he was on the cast and crew.

She looked at the playbook she had grabbed that night, and flipped it open for the the first time since that first night. She hadn't thought about it. She had read through it the first night with Alya, and hadn't seen the point of reading it again. She turned to the cast and crew page and felt herself gasp.

'Adrian Agreste playing Lord Noir'

She felt her chest tighten as she realised she had stopped breathing. It was a good thing she had gaspt at first because she was afraid she might pass out. There was a small head shot next to his name. His hair, a bit more ruffled than on stage, his eyes shined in black and white at the camera. At her. That name still sounded too familiar, but she pushed the thought aside.

She was so happy to have this, she texted Alya right away, doing her best to keep a level head.

 _Alya! Meet me at the Blind Chat in 20!_ She sent, before wrapping herself up tighter in her coat and heading to her car.

 _Where the hell is that and why on earth would I want to?_ Alya responded, she could tell she was probably working on her blog at the moment. Alya was always less inclined for adventures when she was working much like herself, but Alya didn't understand the negative aspect of being hypocritical.

 _I got invited to the after show party. By your friend Nino? And 'He' is gonna be there and I need back up!_

 _Oh, Nino invited you? That's pretty cool of him. Yeah I'll tag along, you need a wing girl so you can capture that lord. See you in 20._

At that she excitedly flew out the door, the cold winds hardly chilling her warm rosy cheeks, her heart excitingly pounding in her chest. Perhaps it wasn't over yet.

The bar, was not so much 'a hole in the wall', but rather ' in the floor'. Under a bridge a single red door poked out at ground level a bit. From a distance, it didn't look like a door at all. She was sure she would have missed it, if not for the neon ' The Blind Chat ' sign flickering in the night. Upon closer inspection, the door was at the bottom of a stone step stair-well.

She waited outside for Alya to show, which was a good idea because it looked as if Alya was nearly as lost as Marinette was. When she saw Alya, she regretted not going home and changing. Alya was wearing one of the casual dresses Marinette had designed for her. It was short, but coupled with leggings and knee high boots; warm enough, even for the harsh weather. The dress was striped black and white showing off her figure, and the coat was a tan, matching the boots.

She recalled what she had put on, and the look in the mirror before she left her apartment. It was cute enough, a red chinese style shirt with black form fitting black jeans. Her jacket a navy blue petticoat, with a bright red scarf. She had just wished she could have made something more, exciting? Maybe even sexy? Not that she could really do sexy all that well. For sure try to do something with her hair, rather than the same old pigtails.

" Hey Alya." She greeted, not realising how much the cold had gotten to her as her teeth began to chatter.

" Hey girl, thanks for waiting. This place was super out of the way."

" No problem." She smiled and turned to walk down the steps when Alya grabbed her arm.

" Before we go in there, do you have a game plan?"

" Plan?"

" Like, to woo him? Get him in the sack? "

" Huh? No! I was just… I just wanted to talk to him." She felt her cheeks rising in heat the remark. In truth, that really was all she had expected. Just to have the chance to watch him more, maybe talk to him a bit.

" No way! That's so boring though! If you dragged me out here for-"

" I didn't drag you out here, I asked nicely."

Alya pouted.

" Let me at least try to talk to the guy before you go in." Alya suggested.

" No way, just… If I can't talk to him, then I'll ask for help, okay?"

Ayla nodded, but Marinette suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She wasn't horrible with guys, honestly. She didn't really have much dating experience, and had never had a crush. Maybe that was why Alya was so excited. She was always going on about how Marinette just needed to fall in love already, and to Marinette the idea didn't seem impossible, just hard. Love at first sight was such a strange concept to her, until the play that is. She swallowed the lump in her throat and it fell heavily into her stomach. Taking a breath she stepped in, with Alya in tow.

The Blind Chat was unlike any bar she had been in, though Alya mostly dragged her to clubs. It was old and cramped, but pleasantly warm. She shrugged off her coat and hung it on the wall along with Alya. She noticed the walls, paint peeling with peeling wall paper under with more paint under that. Some walls had been worn down to the brick foundation. Were there wasn't brick, or support beams, there was wood. Most of the wood looked like it had seen better days, scratched up and splintered, the bar in particular. Golden glowing lights hung sparingly scattered, a simple lightbulb from a wire, emitting a cone of light highlighting some areas but plucking everywhere else into deep shadow. A few neon lights in these dark spots kept you from tripping, for the most part. It was hard to see when she entered, as one of the lights must have been hanging at the door, shining so bright it was hard to make out the darkness beyond it. Her eyes adjusted and she noticed a large booth in tattered red leather at the other side of the bar.

That's where she spots Nino, now just in a t-shirt, and in place of the headphones, an orange cap. She saw Alex as well, looking so different out of her dress and wig, her fire pink hair shining even in the low lights. In fact she recognizes most of the cast, even a few crew members from after or before shows. But most importantly…. wait.

She can't find Adrian. Her Lord. He seemed absent, maybe he had gone to the bathroom, or ran home? She hopped he hadn't decided against joining everyone else. After all, Nino made a note that this spot was Adrian's idea. As she approached, she does notice though a strange of attention on a scruffy blond sitting in the center of the booth.

He was the only person she didn't recognize. He was apparently trying to drink his beer, but someone had timed a joke just right that he nearly drenched the table as he spat it out laughing. Normally she would be annoyed by these antics, but something about him drew her focus.

As she approaches, she notices he was wearing a black sweatshirt that shares the same logo as the one outside the bar, a green paw print. His hair was a wild mess, and it looked like he had tried pinning it down, as she could see two big black hair clips struggling to keep his bangs out of his eyes. She suppose it helped a little, but really they just looked goofy. All together it was his smile that caught her attention, blindingly bright and open, shining at her.

She looked away, and tried to again turn her focus towards finding Adrian. She felt Alya try to pull her over to the table, but Marinette instead nodded towards the bar. From there she took a seat on one of the stools, it rocked a bit as she sat, giving her an unsettled feeling. She heard the cheered greetings as Alya joined the group, but didn't turn around because she was, at the moment, trying to find the bartender. From the size of the bar, you wouldn't expect much of a wait staff, after all it seemed like the theater group were the only ones here besides a few drifters that kept to themselves, and what looked like some college students.

" Hey look, Adrian's princess is here." She heard a voice say just barely over the chatter from the rest of the group.

She spun round to follow the voice and saw Alex nudging the scruffy unfamiliar blond in the ribs. Said blond, was staring straight at her, smile gone. She watched as someone handed him a drink and he looked away for a moment, to down the entire drink, before returning to stare at her. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze that seemed to spell trouble, she focused on Alya, who seemed to be talking to a nervous looking Nino. She tried to listen in.

" Well can't leave Marinette to all you losers, who knows what would happen to her."

"Hey we're not that bad." a bottle smash could be heard in the distance, and the two looked over at the booth, Marinette followed and saw the scruffy blond had just finished another drink and was on to number three; well, three by her count.

" Well… Him maybe." He chuckled.

Nino and Alya then joined in a conversation that Marinette found she had trouble listening too, much less joining. As her gaze around the bar again, in hopes of seeing neatly woven gold hair somewhere in the distance, she instead saw a mop, right next to her. His eyes were fixed on her, and under one of the few working lights, she could see a bright red blush across his cheeks. Probably from the drinking, she figured. He seemed to be one of the crew, and not wanting to be rude, she introduced herself.

" Hello, I'm Marinette." She held out her hand, but he didn't grab it to shake it. He just stared at her. When she started to retract her hand, he swooped in, but not grabbing it like you would for a handshake; something a bit more, intimate. He held it, rather awkwardly. Her palm was left facing up, yet he tried to bend it down to kiss it. She managed to pull it out before his lips touched her, his palms being easy to slip from, as they were a bit sweaty.

" Uh… I'm sorry, but who are you?" She asked, trying her hardest not to be rude.

" Y-you don't know?" he asked slowly, trying his hardest it seemed, to not slur his words.

" I don't think we have met.."

" Well… no, but." he went searching for words, but seemed to find none.

" Boy!" A deep voice called out. If you could call it that, sounded more like a grunt. They turned to see a tall man behind the bar, his hair was a greasy black, his nose twisted and a bit crooked. A mangy looking goatee sat on his pointed chin and his lips were thin and chapt. But these were all minor features, the first thing Marinette had noticed was an eyepatch, over his left eye, and faint signs of a scar underneath. This coupled with what looked to be a mostly missing ear, also on the left. He was in all black and was glaring down at the boy with his one gray eye.

" Sober up and get to the Kitchen for a bit, Gorilla needs help."

" But, Plaqq, It's my night off and I-"

Plaqq said nothing, but the boy seemed to cut himself short after the look the man gave him. The boy gave a quick glance to Marinette, before gracefully hopping over the counter with a sigh, and heading to what Marinette assumed was the back kitchen.

"My apologies Miss. You'll have to forgive the kid, the harder he tries the worse he gets. What will you be having?"

" Oh uhh, just a soda for now, thanks." She requested. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

" Can't blame ya for not wanting to drink after his pitiful display." He remarked, presenting the glass to her, she took a sip and the bubbles seemed to fizzle up to her mind, waking her a bit; She had forgotten she had been up early that morning, and she was now fast approaching staying awake into the next day.

" It's fine, does he work here?"

" From time to time. He's a stray of sorts. Wouldn't be my place to dive into the kids backstory, but he's not as much trouble as he looks." Plaqq smirked.

She smiled a bit, but it felt a tad fake, and she was sure Plaqq noticed. It wasn't that she disagreed with the man, more that she felt a bit bad for judging the boy so quickly. It might have been, more or less, because he was distracting her from her goal. But that was no reason to be rude. Well maybe she hadn't been rude, but she knew she was quick to judge.

" Hey Marinette!"

She turned around to see Alya, with Nino close by her side. She smiled and gave a little wave to the two. They quickly ordered their own drinks before joining her at the bar, each testing there seat first.

" So here I thought you would need a wing girl, but you got this in the bag." Alya remarked, lifting her glass in Marinette's honor before taking a generous swig.

" What do you mean?"

" What do you mean 'what do i mean'? That guy was all over you." Before Marinette could respond, Nino chimed in.

"Honestly, if i'd have known he was why you were coming to the sho-" Alya cut him off by trying to stamp on his foot, she missed and instead hit the stool giving it a great heaving swing. Nino had to adjust his grip as it swiveled him around the other way.

" All I'm saying is that he talks about you all the time, we could have avoided a lot of tro-"

" NINO!" Alya gave the stool another swift kick, aming on purpose this time. Nino, once again took a bit to recover, but when he did, he didn't continue his thought.

" Look, it just seems like your loverboy lord is already into you, so we are saying 'congrats' to you on the turnout!"

But Marinette looked confused.

" But I haven't seen him yet."

Alya and Nino stared blankly. Nino seemed to understand right away, and felt himself gasp and give Marinette an odd, understanding look. Alya was enraged.

" What do you mean you haven't seen him?! Are you blind?! He was here not two minutes ago!"

Marinette must have still had the look of confusion on her face because Alya looked like she was about to punch something, and that something was probably gonna be Nino.

" I believe they are talking about my stray." Said the voice from behind the bar. Plaqq had been so quiet she had forgotten he was even there.

" Your…." She was still piecing it together. What about his stray, the blond boy. The boy who had flirted with her. The only… boy… oh no.

" His name is Adrian. My little stray cat of boy." Plaqq said, smirking.

At that moment he had returned, his hair pushed back with sweat from a no doubt hot kitchen. In that quick moment his face looked calm, nobel, and his hair shined under the small light. He glowed as if he was on a stage, he looked exactly like…

" Hey! Y-you're still here." He remarked, the tone of surprise a little too present. She felt herself break out into a huge blush. Of course, how could she have been so blind. He was a perfect fit, well aside from hairstyle, clothing, and overall personality. She had seen his face from a distance far too often to mistake him for anyone else, it's just- how could someone seem so different.

He looked to be waiting for Marinette to respond to him, but she couldn't. she could only stare, motionless. Once she did however, manage to move, she tapped her glass gaining Plaqq's attention; her eyes remaining fixed on Adrian in an intense study. He somehow understood she needed something stronger. smiled knowingly and filled her half drank soda the rest of the way with whisky.

" You finish your kitchen work?" asked Plaqq, seemingly trying to kill the silence.

" I got ordered back out here to have fun."

" By who?" He seemed a tad annoyed by this.

" Your wife." He smirked, he seemed to relish in the stiff fear that overtook Plaqq, and Marinette noticed he looked somehow pailer.

"Fine." He stalked off defeeted, heading over to the main table behind them where the theater group was demanding more beer.

Adrian seemed to calm, now seeming to be in his element. He turned to her, a confident smile now spread gracefully across his cheeks. She felt small under his gaze, and took a large swig of her cocktail, blanching at the new harsh flavor.

" So, figure out who I am yet?" He asked, an amused chuckle in his voice.

" Yes." She answered, setting her glass down.

" Well?"

" Well what?"

" Are you... " he seemed to be losing his nev, " Impressed?"

" More like… shocked?"

" R-right."

He didn't seem to know what to do with himself. His hand, which had been hanging cooly off the bar he was leaning on, was now twitching. His shoulders seemed tense as well and he appeared to be trying to find a new place for his elbow to rest, returning to the same spot each time.

" So… do you work here too?" She asked, and he relaxed, glad she was willing to fill the silence.

" I ran away the second I turned 18, Plaqq took me in, gave me a job for a place to stay."

" So what got you into acting?"

" Ah, that would be Nino. He was my best friend in Highschool, still is obviously. When I gave him the screenplay he had tried to convince me to go in for one of the rolles. I turned him down of course but when he said his chat noir walked out… I don't know. I felt bad to leave him hanging."

" When you gave him the screenplay?"

" Ah, yeah I wrote it. D-did you like it."

He had gotten nervous again, probably at her expression which had now changed again to one of shock.

" Yes of course! I just had no idea. The author's name was just.. some initials I think."

" A.A. Yeah that's me." He smiled.

She smiled back, she felt herself let loose and break into a flurry of questions and comments in regards to the play. What had inspired it, where had the characters come from and so forth. They had also discussed the romance of it, which had left her turning a tad uncomfortable again. She did her best to push past it, and slowly started to see the real him.

He laughed as he did on stage, warm chuckles, not the crazy cackling that sounded earlier when he was drunk; but there was always this hint of wickedness when he laughed. It shined in his eyes even stronger when she laughed along, as if he had caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to. Mischievous, charming, and an utter dork. During their conversation he had decided he needed a drink and vaulted over the bar, nearly kicking Plaqq in the face. As he disappeared behind the bar wall in a crash, she lept up to peer over in concern. What she was met with instead was him popping up, inches from her face, with another wicked grin.

" Worried about me? A kiss would make it better." And he puckered his lips.

" How about you kiss this?" she said shoving a gross looking beer glass towards his lips tipping it back. It was probably flat, and also probably containing mostly backwash, as Adrian gagged instantly spitting it back out.

" Watch it!" Plaqq shouted, smacking Adrian on the back of the head with a dirty rag. His hair, was now a new disheveled, and completely hid his eyes. Marinette tried her best but could not contain a laugh as Adrian smiled stupidly at her; Or she at least assumed he was staring given she couldn't see his eyes. He leaned over the bar towards her again, and she giggled, batting the bangs out of his eyes for him. She found, under his golden locks, the warmest gaze she had ever seen. She felt her hand almost stop, along with her heart, as her fingers felt the silky strands hovering near his cheeks.

" JUST KISS HER ALREADY!" a voice sounded out from the group behind them. The two jumped and Marinette followed Adriens, embarrased glare over to the table. They were all smiling, even Alya, raising their glasses and laughing at what they were referring to as ' the happy couple'. A few even seemed to sing the brides march. Adrian pushed his bangs back, and much more gracefully as before, hopped back over the bar. He started storming over to the group, pulling Nino away before disappearing into the shadows.

As soon as he had gone from site, Alya strode over, slightly tipsy but holding her own. She put an arm around Marinette.

" Bathroom?" She asked, and Marinette nodded, before the two strood off.

Now in the safety of the better lit bathroom, Marinette felt herself relax again.

" I need details, now!" Alya demanded

" What details? Nothing has happened."

" So you weren't laughing and lovingly pushing hair out of his eyes?"

" Why were you watching!?"

" Everyone was, they've been waiting for this for a while."

" What are you talking about!?"

" You're' the princess'." Was the response, but it wasn't from Alya. She turned around to see Alex, pink hair shining bright in the stronger lighting.

" Princess?" Marinette wasn't sure if she liked this nickname, it in no way fitted her, and she could hear Alya giggling.

" First night," Alya started " do you remember what you were wearing?"

Marinette thought for a second, it had been her first night out in a while, so she had wanted to look nice. She had also just finished a design for a new dress. It had been unlike her normal dresses, which were puffy, shorter and fun; or at the very least, symple. This time she had designed it to be what she had hoped would hold the very definition of elegance. It was pink and red chiffon, that drapes and swayed over each other, like a rose with two colors of petals. The neckline showed her shoulders and wrapped around her neck, more like a sleeveless turtleneck, and the collar itself at the top was a black. Detailed black beading along the chest scattered and lessened as it traveled down her dress. Finally she had long black gloves and ladybug earrings to complement the look. At the time she had wished she had been able to figure out something to do with her hair, then just letting it down; and she had wanted better jewelry to complement the overall look. But Alya had complimented her either way.

She hadn't dressed up that much since that first night.

" What about it?" Marinette answered, realising she had been quiet for quite some time now.

" Adrin saw you," Alex answered " From the moment you walked in. He had been late that day and came through the entrance with guests, and saw you. He said, and i'm quoting here…' it was as if she had just leapt from heaven."

Marinette felt herself blush.

" It sounds like he overheard us too while we were talking, thought you were interesting." Alya added.

" Didn't help that you kept showing up," said Alex " He was going mad about you, he found out Nino knew Alya who was your friend and it was a nightmare."

" What do you mean?" She turned to Alya, who looked guilty. " Alya?!"

" Look, you were making no moves towards this guy, and then I hear from Nino that a guy liked you that worked on the crew. Well… was interested at least. I figured-"

" What if it wasn't him, what if it was some psycho! What if he is some psycho!"

" Hey! I won't let you talk about him like that." Defended Alex " He's almost too much of a gentleman."

" I just gave him my blog," explained Alya. " There are some videos of the two of us on there and you come up during some of my stories. Im sure he just wanted to know more about you."

" We kept trying to convince him that you might like him but he was worried it was something else," Alex explained further. " I'm sure he thought you were good looking at first, but he got seriously fixed on you after whatever he found out from the blog."

" And what was that exactly?" Miranette asked. She watched as Alex took a breath putting herself in a different posture. Assuming to be taking the role of Adrin.

" ' She's so smart and talented, I bet you she made that first dress. Did you hear her laugh? Isn't she the cutest? She seems fierce too, like she could kick my ass if she wanted to, it's fucking hot.' "

" Oh my god he did not say that. " She punched Alex in the arm before drawing it in, crossing her arms in a way that made her feel timid but still look somewhat intimidating. Defencive was probably a better word.

" I'm paraphrasing." Alex laughed nursing her arm. " But here is the simple facts. We are sick to death of hearing it, and we love that boy. He likes you, and you like some aspect of him. So if you would please, kindly shag and get it over with." she sounded so wicked as she finished, and Marinette could hear her laughing when she looked away to hide a growing blush on her face.

" Way to put it delicately." Alya deadpanned, but turned to Marinette to try to comfort her. " Look girl, this is a good thing, really good luck. You can get to know him better, and he you. At least give him a chance and no strings attached if you don't like the guy."

But that was what she was scared of. Well something to that extent. She had already seemed to fall for an image so quick, and he fall for her. Both seemingly fake versions of themselves. But was it? The girls left her alone for a moment to collect herself.

She would never admit herself to be anything like a graceful princess, she was clumsy and at most times a mess. Especially when she was focused on a project. But from the sound of it, that wasn't why he was interested.

She, well, she had loved him on stage because he seemed so kind, and thoughtful. Thinking back to the bar he could have easily acted different, sure he flirted but he seemed to respect her boundaries, testing the water, and she was letting him in. So unconsciously she had begun to let him in. She hardly knew this guy, and suddenly she was letting him through, feeling as though she had known him for years.

" Any trouble dear?" She spun round to see a woman, fiery red curly hair and brilliant blue eyes looking at her with concern. She was wearing a bright red apron, with the logo cat paw printed in black on the front. She had the same weathered look that Plaqq seemed to have, an old scar across her right cheek, but it was her eyes that Marinette seemed so fixed on. They were so warm.

" Sorry?" She responded as if not hearing the question, even though she had.

" I said, any trouble dear? You've been in here quite a while."

" Oh," Marinette glanced at her watch and it looked as if nearly a half hour had passed. " Oh my, I'm fine just… lost in thought." Marinette did her best to offer the kind woman a smile, but she seemed to see right past it.

" How about we get you something to eat back in the kitchen, that could help your mind a bit."

Marinette couldn't help but nod as she followed the woman out. She glanced around spotting Adrin who seemed to be distracted by a headlock from one of the crewmembers, and hurried past. It would be best, she thought, that she sort out a few thoughts before talking to him again.

The kitchen, she was surprised to see, was completely normal, and not at all fitting the outside bar. It looked like the style was pulled from a 1950's catalog, complete with the retro utilities, and unlike the bar, it seemed like some design had thoughtfully gone into it, which marinette could appreciate. It was also unlike a restaurant kitchen, like she had originally expected, and gave of the vibe of a normal house. She eventually assumed that was the case when she saw the stairs leading up to another area above the bar. Which seemed impossible because the building itself was imbedded at the bottom of the support beam for a bridge. But the stars seemed to have a more well kept wallpaper and some photos lining it, as it ascended into shadow. She took a seat at the kitchen island, and Tiki busied herself with what she had assumed she was working on earlier. She noticed off to the side of the oven, several plates of cookies, freshly baked, sat. The oven appeared to still be in use as it seeped heat into the room; Marinette was never more glad she had worn a short sleeve shirt.

While the woman was distracted, Marinette looked around the room. Her eyes traveled along all the red fixtures and pots that lined the wall, and fell upon several photographs on the fridge behind her.

There was a few of a disgruntled looking Plaqq, and one of Plaqq next to the red headed woman, and then finally them both together with a younger adrian. The three looked so happy together, aside from the fact Adrian looked nothing like them, you might think they were a family. Scratch that, they were a family. Plaqq's arm was ruffling the boy's somewhat more tame hair, the the woman was holding him close with a hand on each shoulder. Adrian's smile was so wide that he couldn't even keep his eyes open because his cheeks were pulled so high.

" The day he moved in with us." Said the woman, causing Marinette to jump, when had the woman gotten so close. Marinette watched as the woman smiled affectionately at the photo. " We had always talked about kids and decided against, but leave it to him to pull home a stray."

Marinette didn't respond, this must have been Plaqq's wife. The way the two talked about Adrian made enough sense on its own.

The woman smiled at Marinette before returning to her work, She had just pulled a rather large cookie from the oven, letting the room fill with an extra wave of heat. The cookie looked to be about the size of a serving tray. She slid it onto a cooling rack by the stove and turned to the kicthen to begin washing her hands.

Marinette felt odd, not out of place, but as though she should feel out of place. This whole night had just been strange, people suddenly taking one look at her and waltzing into her mind, accepting her like family.

" Bet you're wondering why I brought you back here? Sorry dear. I know it's not fair to pull you from the fun."

Marinette didn't respond, she just watched as the woman began to collect dishes around to drop into the sink to clean.

" Both Plaqq and I have our ways of helping the boy along, as do his friends, but I thought it might be fair to you to give you some space."

" How did you…"

" I know that look dear. You see, as much as we might call our stray boy 'mangy' he is nowhere near as rough around as Plaqq was when I first met him."

" I guess I'm just confused, I've never been so nervous going to meet someone and then completely comfortable the next, almost like-"

" You already know him?"

Marinette nodded.

" Can't tell you if you have or not, but let me tell you something, I had the same feeling when I met Plaqq. This man, who was so far from what I had known, scary to look at even back then. I looked at him, and felt as if I had known him my whole life. It was like a click, and suddenly I wasn't scared. A bit reluctant, we both were at first, but something told me he had a similar feeling; wasn't till years later we figured out what it was."

" What was it." She spoke in what felt like a breath, hardly audible, but she had been heard.

" The feeling of finding your Soulmate."

At that moment, a figure crashed through the doors.

" Tiki! Have you seen her she…" It was Adrian, and he paused as soon as he caught site of Marinette sitting at the table. " Uhh…" He blanched, and blushed, and Marinette couldn't help but giggle.

" Out with you! Go enjoy the party with your friends!" Tiki rushed around, shoving Adrian roughly at the back, pushing him out of the room.

" B-but.."

" No buts, out with you! She will be out in a minute, and stay out there till she is back."

The room fell silent for a moment as the two had left, the word flitted around in her mind. _Soulmates._ Was that even a thing? Did people even have those moments in real life? It seemed too easy.

Tiki returned in a huff. Checking on the big cookie's cooling before starting on the dishes.

" I swear, he is as childish as they come at the worst of times."

" Would you like some help?"

" No need dear."

But Marinette was already standing, helping. Tiki just gave her an odd look before continuing to clean, handing dishes off to be dried. It was an odd night indeed. Marinette wasn't too much a stranger to being launched into odd situations, she had a knack for it, her lack of ability to say no was the primary cause, but it still seemed a bit strange. She was thankful though. This Tiki seemed to be honest with her, and that was good to have at the moment. With Alya trying to get her to jump in his pants right away, and everyone else at the party agreeing, it was nice to be away for a moment.

She heard a noise, faint, from across the kitchen coming from the doors. She turned to look to see a streak of blond hair whipping out of site. He was watching her.

Everything told her she should be creeped out, but instead she smiled.

" Umm… Mis.."

" Tiki is fine dear."

" Right, Tiki. When did you finally figure it out, what made you realise it, that you and Plaqq where…" She kept her voice to a low whisper, incase they still had their eavesdropper, and thankfully Tiki also spoke softly.

" I had met Plaqq outside of a bar not unlike this one, A bar that had seen more fights than soap, and Plaqq had been a frequent supplyer of those fights. I had been on my way to the library when some men had jumped me, and were possibly set to do the worst to me."

A shiver ran up Marinettes spine.

" Plaqq, I suppose had heard the scuffle and pulled two of the men off me, and for the first time in my life, I joined in the fight. It was exhilarating, if not completely terrifying. Somehow they had managed to get a few cheap shots at him, leaving him a little bloodied up, so when they finally scattered I was left to treat him."

Marinette watched as for a moment, Tiki had stopped washing, and seemed to be lost in a memory with a fond smile set across her face.

" He was so put out that I had to help him, and wouldn't admit to saving me, or even take any thanks I gave. He simply said he was itching for a fight. Well, I had stopped in a few days latter anyway to give him some of my best cookies. He refused them, quite rudely and I thought that might be it. But then I found myself walking by the bar so often, and almost always finding him. I would say hello and he would bark something at me before I left."

She began washing again, but Marinette was so attached to the story she let the dishes stack beside her.

" Then what happened?" She asked hopeful.

" And then," Tiki began " and then when he realised I wouldn't be going anywhere, he started talking to me. I hung around more and more, and even learned the best way to please him was a nice wheel of cheese, that man." She huffed and began helping Marinette finish up, embarrassed Marinette quickly joined while letting Tiki continue.

" He was home, in a sense, not sure if I could ever explain it any other way."

They finished and Tiki returned to check on the cookie again. Letting out a sigh she returned to the tabel as did Marinette. Marinette could see she was putting off something, not wanting to remember, and Marinette was about to tell her she could stop when Tiki continued solemnly.

" One night, a gang that had been causing a bit of an uproar in the area had started a fight with Plaqq. He, of course, was a great fighter even on his worst days by then." She added with a bit of pride. " But when they had been beaten, they went after me, for revenge."

Marinette felt herself hold back a gasp, and again she heard the door rattle a bit.

" Now we weren't exactly sweethearts, but anyone but us could see we were fond of eachother. I'm not the worst fighter, when backed against the wall, Plaqq always said I had some kind of luck in a fight. I guess that is true in a way."

She put a kettle on the stove silently asking if Marinette would like tea, and she nodded yes. When Tiki turned around she pointed to the scar on her cheek.

" I got out with this, Plaqq on the other hand…"

" Those scars?"

" Yes. In a way I was his weakness. Without thought he had jumped in the way of a knife, and again of a poorly aimed bullet. I consider us lucky their aim was so high, but wish to death they hadn't taken half his sight. After that while I treated the cuts, I couldn't help but ask why he had jumped in the way. We both knew I could hold my own, and I was just so worried he had gotten hurt. But he just held my hand, and told me it was because he loved me."

Marinette couldn't help but smile, but it left as the two were distracted by a bit of a ruckus outside the door.

" Get back to yer friends ya mop!" Marinette could hear Plaqq grunt, followed by what sounded like a kick and someone falling over.

Plaqq entered the kitchen staring back at the door.

" Useless kid," he muttered before looking at Tiki. " Not the story again love."

" I have no idea what you are talking about. " Tiki protested, but Plaqq, with alarming speed approached her. He looked so tender and gentle as he took Tiki's face in his hands and brought a kiss under each eye. " Not much makes you cry Tiki, I know this well enough to figure what you might have been telling the girl."

" I think… I'll head back out now." Marinette said with a surprising amount of confidence, she could feel the tears trickling in her eyes and wiped them with her hands before making her way towards the door.

" You sure dear?" Tiki asked, her face still in Plaqq's hands, who was looking rather possessively at her.

" Yes, I think I'll be okay. Thanks!"

She felt more than okay as she walked through the door, she felt as though she had gained some new perspective. She would at least give him a chance, it seemed odd that she had never fallen for a pretty face like she had Adrian's. Also she had been so quickly charmed by both sides of him, who was she to deny this feeling. If she was attracted to him, she was gonna let herself be dammit.

She bumped into a figure at the end of the hall, it was a rather amused looking Alya.

" Where have you been girl?"

" Getting a bit of advice." She smiled.

" What? Is your BFF's advice not good enough?"

" Of course not!"

" Well good, than my advice is for you to get your sweet ass back out there before the guy has a stroke."

She just nodded and entered into the bar.

Adrian was a bit better off than she had last seen him. Now seeming to have returned to his spot earlier at the booth, with a new drink in hand. He seemed disgruntled about something until one of the crew members tapped him on the shoulder, pointing Marinette way. His eyes followed to her and she saw him swallow a rather large gulp of beer.

" Can I sit here?" She asked with a smile, keeping her eyes locked to his. The two stayed unmoving while several men on Adrian's left cleared out of the booth allowing her access to get in. She bounced in next to him and reached for a beer Alya had just passed to her, taking a large swig herself, before turning to looking at him.

" What?"

" … uh.."

" What's the matter? Cat got your tongue." A cheer rang out in her head as she took another sip of beer, as awkward and worried as she had felt, this was fun.

" Not at all… Unless a purrfect girl like you would have it?" A small half smile returned to his face, flashing some of his dazzling teeth.

" Ugh.. that was awkward." She joked.

" I can do better."

" So you claim, but I have yet to hear it."

His arm stretched across the leather of the booth, his fingers just grazing her far shoulder. He leaned over to her ear and she felt hot breath tickle her skin, raising the hair on the back of her neck.

" Don't tempt me.." He whispered, and she felt herself shiver. A thought, one she didn't know she was capable of having, cried out for him to nibble her ear, but she instead distracted herself with her drink. He leaned back, but his arm stayed put.

" What were you talking to Tiki about? " He asked casually.

" As if you don't know." The look in his eyes spelled guilt.

" I might have heard a little…" The two fell silent again, for just a moment, watching the others mingle.

" Plaqq seems like a good man." She commented, looking out to nothing at the bar, but remembering the scared man kissing his wife tenderly.

" That's a rare opinion of him." But she could tell he agreed.

" Mind telling me your story 'stray'?" she asked. He in turn let out a irritated sign.

" God I hope you don't start calling me that too."

" How about Kitten." Adrian blushed, and did his best to change the subject.

" Not much of a story honestly. I had a crappy home life, got away as soon as I could, but despite being book smart I had no street smarts. Nearly got myself killed."

She let him pause as he took his drink, eyes fixed on him, but his own stayed rooted straightforward.

" I won't bore you with details, but Plaqq saved me from a rather harsh run in. Then he dragged me back here, and Tiki patched me up. They let me stay for a month and I started helping Tiki out around the home during the day, and giving Plaqq a hand on the occasional busy night. Eventually they just offered for me to stay in the room. I help out and bring in some extra money with side jobs, they feed me and let me stay with them."

He grew quite, fixated now on his drink, she could feel his left hand fidgeting just above her shoulder, clenching and unclenching. The more quiet he grew, the more the worried she got. He seemed content to say trapped in his mind until cheering was heard over toward the kitchen. Tiki walked out with a rather large tray, the large cookie in the center and the smaller ones scattered along the side. A few party members cleared some of the beer glasses away so she could set the tray down on the booth table. The cookie was now frosted with large letters that read, ' _Congrats everyone !'_ and everyone cheered, taking photos and grabbing cookies before returning to the fun.

After that point most of the party seemed to blur to Marinette. Not because she was drunk, as she had hardly finished any of her drinks, but because of the chaos caused at the bar. Drunken song mixed in with games, Alya and Nino at some point had apparently set up a date or at least traded phone numbers because Nino was looking as though he could face anything, while in a rare moment Alya looked as if she was about to burst from embarrassment. It was so easy to fit in for Marinette, as they all knew a little too much about her. She tried returning the favor and remembering each of their names in turn, but most of them held nothing against her. It was a crazy night.

People didn't start going home till 2:30 in the morning, and for some reason despite having woken early the previous day, Marinette couldn't shake this energy. She supposed it was Adrian's fault. Each time she felt herself growing tired, he would smile at her, and she would feel more awake than ever.

She had just said a final goodbye to Alya and looked around to see everyone had gone. Adrian was helping Tiki clean up, but Tiki seemed insistent he go 'entertain his guest'. As a compromise, Marinette helped clean up, and before she knew it his hand was guiding her up the stairs to the second floor. She passed the frames on the wall up the stairs, but it was too dark to make anything out. Finally they found themselves at a dark landing with three doors. One she guessed led to Tiki and Plaqq's home, the other maybe a bathroom, but the one they entered had led to a cozy brick walled room.

It was small, half the size of the bar, but filled with nothing more than a few bookshelves, a couch, a tv and stereo system, an old record player, stacks of papers, and a surprisingly decent looking bed under a small window across from the door. The window let in some light from the city streets and she wondered how for a moment, until Adrian flicked on a dim lamp in the corner; it filled the room with a soft warm glow.

" Plaqq says it used to be a dungeon of sorts, that they locked people up here. But I think that's garbage. It's made too look like a speak easy."

" A what?"

" Speakeasy. They were this thing in America in the 1920's, secret bars when drinking was outlawed. They became this 'cool' thing so this was made to mimic that feeling I guess. Not in the 20's though cause the river was flooded years before and they were probably worried about it happening again so probably way later. I think maybe the 40's or 50's."

" You think about this a lot?" She asked smiling. Here he had managed to get this girl up to his room and he was giving her a history lesson. She was aware she asked, and didn't have much experience in boys rooms, but she was still sure this wasn't how it was supposed to go down.

" haha…" he chuckled lightly, before turning his focus to his records. A familiar melody softly erupted in the room. It was La vie en Rose, sung by Edith Piaf. He reached out to her. " How about a dance, my lady."

She smiled coyly.

" How can I be sure you won't step on my feet."

" Fair enough, but let me tell you, I have had a few dance lessons in my day."

She raised an eyebrow at this, but accepted his hand and was slowly pulled close to him.

His hand found his waist, and hers found his shoulder. The two began to sway slightly to the music. She noticed he was indeed at dodging her feet, and wished she was equally good. A few miss steps had led to a fumble. By the time they had gathered themselves the song had switched to one that started a tad more upbeat, and Adrian began without words to show her a slightly more complicated dance.

Once she had stopped focusing on her feet, as the song slowed, she felt her eyes wander to him, as he spun them leaning her and guiding her to his whim. As the beat kicked up again she much more confidently followed the jumpy steps leading into another more elegant slow and another transition. Laughing soon almost completely drowned out the song. Soon the two realised that the song had actually stopped and the record was at this point skipping off the needle. He let go to flip the record and start it up again, and she took a seat on his bed, feeling a tad out of breath.

" You are a very fast learner." He remarked sitting beside her.

" It's my one good skill." She laughed, kicking off her shoes and pulling her feet up onto the bed. She slid back against the wall so she could gaze out the window. Down she saw the bridge archway and light shining from the city. She gazed out to the la seine.

" Tell me about you." he asked watching her.

" I thought you already knew about me."

" I.. Might have learned a little." he admitted, blushing. " But In my defence I thought for a while you were a spy." She let out a laugh, and then realised he was only half joking.

" A spy? Me? Why would I be spying on you? Well, besides from the obvious reasons." She added with a bit of a flirt, he smirked at this.

" My father is a very wealthy man." He whispered in her ear, " you could have been hired by him, or sent to find me as ransom."

" My my… big headed are we Mr. Agreste." She whispered and he chuckled in her ear. But something about that name sounded familiar again. " Wait. Agreste…"

He pulled back slightly, and she could feel the atmosphere around them tence.

" Is your father… Gabriel Agreste?"

His silence was the only yes she needed before she bolted from the bed.

" Oh My gosh! You're.. YOU'RE! THE ADRIAN AGRESTE!?"

Adrian looked hurt, as if this reaction was not what he wanted, she could see an awkward tenseness poor out of him, his hand began nervously clenching and unclenching again. He must not have known how to respond to her outburst, so he simply stayed quiet, and nodded.

" No wonder…" She sat on the couch that sat perpendicular to his bed.

" 'No wonder' what?"

She looked at him, trying her best to gather her thoughts into words the best way possible.

" You see, I want to be a fashion designer, more than anything in the world. I look up to Gabriel Agreste."

" You shouldn't…" He grunted, but she ignored it for the moment.

" Can't help it, always have. Even when I was younger. In high school, there was this competition, where we had to design derby hats."

Adrian perked up at this, looking at her with new curiosity.

" I had won, by a landslide, and his son was gonna model my hat. I even got to meet him. He was…"

She tried to remember that day, when the skinny blond boy, not much taller than her had shown up to her school. She had read about him in fashion articles, and seen numerous girls fawn over his boyish good looks. He was indeed handsome, she remembered, and almost immediately taken with him, but to her surprise he was also…

" Kind… and sad."

Adrian stared at her with large, seemingly glowing eyes.

" I had felt bad, because my hat was pigeon themed, and he was allergic to feathers, I offered to redesign the hat or submit a new one, but Mr. Agreste wouldn't have it. It was the first time I saw how…" She coudn't think of a word. She still looked up to Gabriel Agreste, and to speak ill of him, was something she couldn't do. " Insensitive he might be." Adrian scoffed.

" Cruel is more like it."

Marinette stayed silent, but focused on him, willing him to continue. He let out a loud exasperated sigh, before climbing out of the bed and walking over to the closet.

" He was a nightmare. When I was young, my mother vanished. Now he wasn't a walk in the park then, but after he left it was like… like we weren't even related. I was raised more by his assistant or anyone else he hired to look after me. Cooks, private tutors, my driver… the work alone drove me up a wall. He was always so demanding. I never asked for much…"

He pulled a box down and opened it, and pulled out an old derby hat, that looked as if it had never been warn.

" I wanted nothing more than to be a normal kid."

He handed her the hat she had made and she took it lightly, examining it.

" You lied and said you had to fix a loose seem. But you replaced the feather with an artificial one."

Marinette nodded absentmindedly. She had changed out the feather, it was silly of her really to go through the trouble of chasing down pigeons in the first place.

" Why were you crying tonight."

" Hmm?" She looked up and saw something unfamiliar in his eyes, a hurt confusion, but it seemed to light a fire in her stomach. He stayed silent, knowing she had heard the question.

" I… was sad… because it was the last night I could-" She cut herself off out of nerves. But took a gulp of courage and dived in for a second wind. " the last night I would see yo-"

He cut her off this time, swooping down and leaving the softest of pecks across her lips. It lasted about half a second, so short, but he stayed near, hovering, trying to gage her reaction. She simply felt herself drop the hat and quickly raise her hands to that messy mane of his, gripping tight as she pulled him down back to a kiss.

She felt like something inside of her ripped open and began to blossom in her entire being. It grew in her chest, before bursting into waves, sending emotions cascading through her veins to her finger tips and toes. He responded almost instantly, with a tad more viger. His arms circling around her, trying to clear shut any gap between them. She could feel his arms running roughly along her back, edging near her but and hips before running back up her spine.

She felt as though fireworks were exploding in the back of her head, a daze of passion and noise of which her brain could no longer register anything that wasn't Adrian.

He broke away for a moment to pull off sweatshirt and undershirt in one go. Revealing a very well structured chest and slightly sun kissed skin. She wasted no time diving in for his neck while her hands roamed his chest. She was enjoying herself until she felt two hands on her wrists pulling them away from him.

" Woah woah wait! Hold on a second." he said pushing away from her completely.

What the hell? Was she really that bad. She began to doubt herself as she watched him scramble away. When she noticed what he was up to though, she just became confused. He had turned off the record player which was skipping again, and switched on his stereo, playing some indie sounding band she had never heard of. He turned up the volume a bit before peering through the door to the hall that had been left open a jar, and then locked it.

" Sorry its just… thin walls.. and it's.. kind hard to… ya know… and keep changing a record."

" Get much experience with this set up do you?" She couldn't hide the slight tone of jealousy in his voice.

" If by 'experience' you mean 'solo practice' then yes."

She felt herself open her mouth to respond, but shut it again when she realised she hadn't known how to say it. Leaving him to stand awkwardly, in the middle of the room, shirtless.

" Really?"

" What?"

" You don't… like…"

" Like what?"

" Have girls beating down your door for a taste of… that?" Marinette gestured to all of him. He smirked.

" Just cause they do doesn't mean I sink that low."

" So you're a…"

" Yes."

" Oh…"

" Are you?"

" No…"

" Oh!" he seemed almost hurt, " NOT that I'm shocked, you're more then pretty enough to have guys after you , it's just I'm a bit... "

" Jealous?"

" Maybe?"

" Don't be it was a long time ago."

" Oh…"

This new awkward air seemed to only thicken with time. Marinette wasn't sure how to end it and reclaim the earlier passion. She noticed again, as she watched him rub his arm, the state of his dress and decided what better way to solve the issue, then to join him.

With no words, she pulled off her shirt before laying it over the armrest of the couch. Leaving herself feeling exposed, but oddly, not one bit cold. She did however feel awkward for a moment, before she noticed his attention.

It was undevided, on her. He gaped. Just as she felt as though she should speak up and say something to get things moving he pounced. Capturing her in his arms, lifting her off the ground and laying her on the bed, while she laughed and raked her hands through his hair. The two landed with a thump causing them to break out into fresh laughter, that faded into the night sky.

The morning hadn't hit her nearly as hard as she thought it might. She awoke to the gentle feeling of someone stroking a gentle hand from her thigh all the way up to her waist and then back down. She turned over to see the beginnings of a pink morning light shining down on him, and his eyes shining down on her.

"Morning princess."

She let out a giggle.

" good morning kitty." He pouted at the nick name but forgave her as she turned over fully to face him, leaning against his warm chest. She could feel him release a content sigh.

" I gotta say.. for a beginner…" She started.

" Don't say it."

" I'm just saying, it was an impressive night."

" Well, you were nothing shy from perfect princess." he began to pepper her neck with affectionate kisses and she moved her head back allowing him in. She enjoyed it for a moment until she caught the sound of her phone going off. She grabbed it from her bag that had been brought up last night and checked it, sitting back on the bed where Adrian resumed his musings on her skin.

" My dad called."

" Mmmm.. don't care."

" Well I do." Marinette said calling back. Adrians attack increased, rising higher up her collem to her other ear.

" Hi dad! Sorry I was sleeping… yeah…. right…. oh. ah… yeah I'll be there in less than an hour. Okay, bye."

" I didn't like the sound of that."

" I gotta go Kitty. My dad needs help at work."

" Work?"

" Yeah some new gu-"

" OH SHIT! WHAT TIME IS IT!?"

" Uh… 6?"

" FUCK! I'm late for work!"

She watched as Adrian scrambled out of bed and began throwing on close, almost grabbing Marionettes shirt and tearing it as he tried to throw it on. She borrowed a t-shirt of his, and put back on her underwear and jeans. She could hear Adrian scrambling.

" FUUUUUCK FUCK FUCK!"

She was set to calm him down when vicious pounding was heard at the door.

" WILL YOU TWO GIVE IT A REST ALREADY! YOU'VE BEEN AT IT ALL NIGHT! YOU'RE GONNA BREAK HER! " They heard Plaqq shouting from outside the door, Adrian went pink.

" Just use protection please." Chimed in Tiki, sending them both into a flurry of color.

Once dressed Adrian offered a ride to Marinette. She had declined at first but then realised Alya had shatched Marinettes keys out of her purse last night, probably in some needless attempt to keep her there.

" Where are you headed to?" Marinette asked, wondering if it might just be easier to get a cab, or call Alya.

" A bakery on Gottlieb."

" You have got to be kidding me."

" What?"

" Nothing. I'm headed by there, let's get going."

Adrian put on a sour look but didn't argue as he pulled on his leather jacket and grabbed two helmets along with his keys. The two ran out, ignoring calls from Plaqq and Tiki, and were greeted with little light but fresh layings of snow and a cold breeze. They walked outside and up to the street, a motorcycle sat. Jet black with lime green streaks that looked like lightning. Adrian tossed a helmet to her.

" Scared of motorcycles?" He smiled wickedly, climbing on and turning the key, giving the engine a reve.

" More scared if you grabbed those helmets and were driving in a car." She smiled putting on the helmet and climbing onto the back, her arms holding tight around his leather jacket. The helmet covered her whole face, which she was thankful for, due to the cold. She just wish she had brought gloves. Her hands wrapped around him tighter searching for warmth, and all too soon, the bike kicked off into motion.

The roar was dulled by her helmet, and faintly she could hear a muffled laughter erupt from him. She let out a sigh and watched as flakes of new snow began to fall from the morning rose sky.

The ride wasn't too long, Adrian seemed to be the type to find the best rout, even cutting through some back alleyways. When they arrived outside the bakery, he allowed her to climb off first, before turning off the bike. He followed, removing his helmet in a rush, causing his hair to whip and tossel around, shining like a halo. She followed suit, pulling hers off and setting it on the bike.

" So.." He started.

" So.. "

" I.. I don't have your number." She mused at this.

" You don't."

" Ca… Can I have it?"

" Why?" He seemed almost hurt at this question, but Marinette was having too much fun messing with him.

" B-Because… Last night?"

" We can talk later."

She watched him let out a sigh of relief but he still looked confused.

" What are you doing just standing there? You're late and so am I!" She shoved against him pushing him towards the door.

" But-"

" But nothing, we will talk later."

She pushed him through, hearing the door give a chime, she stayed at the door. She could see he wanted to go back out but he instead turned around and headed further inside. She could hear fumbling apologies, and felt herself smile; fate was indeed messing with these two.

She stept in, the door chiming again, alerting the three in the room to her presents.

Adrian turned to her mid excuse, and gave her a smile coupled with a bewildered look, and that's when she spoke.

" Hello Papa, Mama." Adrians smile fell, and his eyes grew wide.

" Marinette! My dear! He finally showed up, sorry for calling you so early." His father cooed.

" How was the play last night dear? Last one right?" Her mother chimed in, looking up from her bills and paperwork.

" It was… fun. As always." Marinette smiled, and gave a look to Adrian who was frozen solid.

" Oh Marinette, this is our new helper Adrian." Her father started, then turning to Adrian continued. " This is our daughter Marinette, we called her in when it seemed like you weren't going to show."

Adrian stayed frozen, and Marinette let loose a giggle that she tried to hide with her hand.

" Oh… Is something funny?"

" We've met before Papa." She said, finally finishing her giggles.

" Oh… well, if you would like to say and help I'd appreciate it. We've got some catching up to do."

" Got it papa."

She walked into the back towards the kitchen and pulled of her jacket, trading it for an apron. A few seconds later the doors slammed open again.

" YOU!"

" Yes?"

But it seemed as though he hadn't thought of what to say beyond that.

" Honesty, all that cyber stalking and you never even learned my last name."

-AN

I think I will end it here, this got a little out of hand, and not at all in the direction I meant it to go towards. In a way, I think it might be because I kept popping in and out while writing this, for days at a time, and would forget where I was going.

It's a rush and it loses focus, but it is fun to be writing again after so long. I have a few more Miraculous Ladybug fics that will receive more attention so hopefully those will turn out better.

Thanks for reading!


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